Egyptian security forces have killed 12 Takfiri militants and captured 92 others as part of an ongoing military offensive in the violence-torn Sinai Peninsula.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Egyptian army said the latest fatalities, which came during heavy gun battles, brought to 28 the number of the militants killed since the launch of ‘Operation Sinai 2018’ on Friday.

The Egyptian air force also bombed 60 militant positions in the region.

The objective of the major operation — involving Egyptian forces in the army, air force and the navy — is to tighten control of border points and “clean up areas where there are terrorist hotbeds,” according to the army.

In November, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had instructed the country’s armed forces to end the Daesh-inspired militancy in Sinai Peninsula within three months, after a brutal mosque attack killed over 300 people.